Minster Lovell 2

We’re back at Minster Lovell Hall again for the final time. Blogger isn’t allowing me to put non caption text between pictures unfortunately. I am not liking this new style of template as this is often an issue. Has anyone solved it?

Below are some more pics of the ruins and some interesting examples of Victorian graffiti.

TW Verney 1892 intriegued me with the masonic symbol. He is likely to have been a Witney lad called Thomas Verney born in 1873
H possibly E Grahame of Stamford Hill London “HIC FECIT 1881”
George Arthur Hester Witney possibly 5th April 1881
This would’ve been in the courtyard.
It had a drain leading straight to the river so perhaps it’s purpose was drainage?
Can you see the eroded man appearing to hold the base?
A window in time. How little the view must have changed.
With your back to the river pan left in the next 3 photos (same view as in the sketch of a reconstruction). Dovecote and big barn with kitchen range foundations in the foreground.
The main Hall
And left again you can see the west tower. There was a range of buildings linking it once.
Somewhere under the ruins are meant to be vaults. Lord Francis Lovell is said to have hidden in them after being on the losing side of the Battle of Stoke in 1487. An elderly servant is thought to have been secretly feeding him but died. The legend has it that in 1708 when workmen were digging the foundations for a new chimney , they broke through to the secret vault and found a man’s skeleton seated at a table with a book, pen and paper.
I was also told the legend of the Mistletoe Bough Bride. Her story is that after her Winter wedding everyone was playing hide and seek at the hall as the weather was too bad to go out but that people needed entertaining.  She being new to the hall chose to hide in an old chest cluthing the mistletoe which she was meant to use to reward her finder with a kiss under it. For some reason the old chest was never opened and she died inside. It was years later when her skeleton was discovered still holding the branch of mistletoe.
A little less fanciful is the story of St Kenelm of the local church. He was a Mercian king murdered by his sister in 822AD
Below is a little video.
If you go to the field to the left as you face the river
You can reach the Dovecote.
The way is a little narrow and the door only suitable for an elf.
But the path is interesting. I suspect this wall is Medieval in origin.
Just imagine my surprise when I heard a rumble of paws and the tiniest greyhounds I ever did see came up to us all licky tongued with puppy teeth and waggy tailed. They were lovely to meet. Initially their mum came with them but she trusted us and just left the pups with us while she had a bit of quiet time in the field.
Lastly I leave you with real proof that Spring must be on it’s way- crocuses and pussy willow.




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